Selling Off-Plan in Dubai: What a Broker Should Check First

Off-plan sales dominate stretches of the Dubai market and the regulatory framework around them is more developed than in most places. That framework only helps a buyer who is inside it, and part of a broker's value is knowing which questions establish that.

The protections that exist

Developers selling off-plan are required to register the project and to hold buyer payments in a project escrow account rather than in general company funds. That mechanism is the single most important protection in the market.

Escrow releases are tied to construction progress, which is what stops payments funding a different project. Ask which account and confirm it exists rather than assuming.

Interim registration of the buyer's interest — commonly handled through the Oqood system — records the purchase before the property physically exists. An unregistered off-plan purchase is a much weaker position.

Check the project is registered and the developer licensed before you market it. Selling an unregistered project exposes you as well as the buyer.

What to verify before you market

Read the payment plan for what triggers each instalment. Construction-linked and date-linked plans behave very differently when a project slips, and buyers rarely notice which they have signed.

Handover dates in brochures are projections. Say so out loud to the buyer rather than repeating a date you cannot stand behind.

The service charge at handover is frequently underestimated in launch material, and it is the number that surprises investors calculating yield.

Understand the resale rules before handover. Many developers restrict assignment until a percentage is paid, and a buyer planning to flip needs that stated before they commit.

What to tell a buyer plainly

The DLD and RERA project registers are public, and checking a project number takes minutes. Doing it in front of a client is also a straightforward demonstration of competence.

Never help a buyer pay a developer outside the escrow arrangement, whatever the reason offered. That single rule prevents most of the serious losses in this market.

Put the risks in writing to your buyer — timeline, specification variation, service charge and resale restrictions. It costs you nothing and it is what separates a broker from an order-taker.